


A Merciful Lie

by Windify



Category: My Little Pony, My Little Pony: Equestria Girls
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Gen, Kind Of Self-Sacrifice, Light Angst, Rainbow Dash Needs a Hug, The Author Regrets Nothing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-21
Updated: 2020-11-21
Packaged: 2021-03-10 07:48:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,306
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27659732
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Windify/pseuds/Windify
Summary: Not using your powers is easier said than done. But Rainbow Dash was made for speed, so how could she live in a slow world?
Relationships: Rainbow Dash & The Rainbooms
Kudos: 17





	A Merciful Lie

**Author's Note:**

  * A translation of [Milosrdná lež](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27628121) by [Windify](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Windify/pseuds/Windify). 



> This is set after the short _My Little Pony: Equestria Girls: “Overpowered”_ but you don’t need to know that episode to understand what’s going on.

With a quiet sigh, she closed her locker. She once again quickly checked if she had all her things in her backpack, just to be sure, and then she dived right in a crowd of students who were passing by.

It was the same routine every day. Go to school, find the girls, go through the day together, separate for school activities, say goodbye to each other and go home. Over and over again – well, if there wasn’t any surprise in a form of Equestrian magic which would possess someone they would have to fight.

She couldn’t say she hated it. She could find something that she liked, something that amused her on every day, but lately more often than not she had to force herself into looking for it. Sure, the moments she was spending with her friends were pleasant, but the rest?

The rest wasn’t so nice.

She didn’t like routine. She never couldn’t get used to it. The idea that everything in her life would just repeat again and again always terrified her. She needed excitement, she needed every day to be somehow different than the other, she needed _action_.

And after she gained Equestrian magic and later superspeed, everything seemed to only worsen.

Suddenly, the twenty-four hours that were in one day were an absolute hell. Although many people would disagree, because they still thought it’s not enough time, for her, every single thing dragged on much longer.

She combed her rainbow hair with her fingers and in one hand squeezed her geode, magical blue crystal shaped like a circle with a symbol of cloud and lightning in the middle, which was hanging around her neck in a form of necklace. She was longing for activating it, she wanted to run so fast that the world around her changes in a blur, but she couldn’t.

_“The more each of us use our magic for everyday tasks, the more all of our powers becomes supercharged and goes haywire,” Twilight said back then._

_“Since Rainbow is using her superspeed for everything, all of us experience an uncontrollable boost,” added Sunset._

She still remembered the angry looks from the others when they all realized she’s the reason they can’t control their powers.

That were one of the worst looks she has ever seen.

She represented the element of loyalty and she ws particular about not leaving anyone when they were in trouble. She couldn’t disappoint them by selfishly using her powers when the others were having a hard time with theirs.

And it didn’t matter how much it was hurting her herself.

Her friends mattered the most. She couldn’t give priority to her stupid desire to just run before their happiness. What kind of friend would she be, then?

She woke up from her thoughts when someone bumped into her from behind, and she compassionately found out she’s only half the way to her class. She grasped her backpack tightly and ignored the luring pulsation coming from her legs with all she had. “Get your shit together, Dash,” she muttered for herself. “You’ve ocercomed so many things so far, you can handle one little desire.”

After all, the others weren’t having any problems with it. They were able to not use their powers. And she was managing it too for a few week already, so it couldn’t go any worse from now, could it?

Och boy, how wrong she was.

~~~

Rainbow Dash was known for many things, but patience really wasn’t one of them.

She wasn’t paying attention to the sympathetic glances her classmates were giving her. She was tapping the floor with her leg impatiently, rolling a pen between her fingers. Her eyes roved between the notebook before her and clock on a wall and every second felt like minutes.

All around her was just so… slow. The people were moving at a snai-like speed, every one of their actions was slowed down. As is she was permanently living in a hyperspace no one else could enter – and she was there all alone, without a way to get out, without a chance to move and run away from the slowness.

“Are you alright, Rainbow Dash?”

She looked up, forced smile on her face. “Of course, vice principal Luna. I’m always okay.”

She didn’t look like she believed her, but wisely, she didn’t push her. Instead she nodded and moved back to a teacher’s desk.

With an exhale, Rainbow slouched her shoulders and leant on her chair. She turned her head when she felt a touch on her shoulder. Fluttershy who was sitting behind her was now looking at her with concern: “Are you really alright, Dash? You look nervous.”

She chouckled, even though she wasn’t in a mood for laughter. “Calm down, Fluttershy. Nothing’s wrong.”

The girl lowered her hand slowly, doubts in her opal eyes, but she didn’t ask any more questions, too. She knew she wouldn’t get answers, anyway.

Both girls returned to their work, but – fortunately for Rainbow Dash –, the bell rang a few minutes later. She had to force herself to not immdiately running out of the room, but she had a meeting with the rest of the group and they would hardly praise her if she ran to them, wouldn’t they?

She tossed her things into the backpack and stopped by the door to wait for Fluttershy. They didn’t talk when they started walking toward lunchroom together. It wasn’t surprising, after all, Fluttershy wasn’t really talkative person, and Rainbow Dash was glad for the silence for once.

“Rainbow Dash! Fluttershy!”

They both moved to the sides immediatelly when Pinkie Pie swept past them in her classical typical way. Dash promptly reached out for her arm and snatched her to herself before she could crash into a wall before them. “Carefully, Pinkie.”

“Hehe, ups. Thanks, Dash!”

She rolled her eyes but at that time, the rest of their friend group arrived. All seven girls greeted one another – as if they haven’t seen each other in the morning before school stared – and headed to the canteen to have lunch.

Rainbow Dash felt the tension in her shoulders loosening. It was as if every time they were together, the side effects of her powers softened. They weren’t gone, because the uncomfortable buzzing she felt has never disappeared, but it had at least eased.

As soon as they all took their food, they sat down to their favourite table. No one apart from them sit there, all other students know this table is theirs meeting point, but to be honest, there wasn’t anyone in the whole Canterlot High School who would have a problem with that.

She listened as the other girls talked. Applejack was telling them about a failed experiment in chemistry which ended with an explosion so she and Pinkie had to take out shards from their hair, and Rarity complained how Twilight didn’t let anyone speak in their math class. (Whereat the girl with purple skin blushed and hid behind her book.)

“And how is this something new?” Dash asked, eyebrows raised.

“Hey!” protested Twilight, but laughter coming from the others silenced her, so with a pretended offend she just spiked pasta on a fork and put the food in her mouth.

Dash grinned at her, but then she returned to her food because Sunset Shimmer started talking. Eventually, the conversation turned into a debate about some new songs for their band, and although Rainbow Dash loved The Raimbooms, this was the moment she completely stopped paying attention, knowing that the girls will be captivated by explaining theirs ideas.

She was looking around the canteen. She moved her crew aside and with her sharpened senses watched rest of the school. Her eyes roved from student to studend, capable of absorving more information in one second than what was possible for humans. Sweetie Belle, Rarity’s sister, accidentally pushed Scootaloo, who crashed into Apple Bloom, which led into Applejack’s sister pouring her soup on Sweetie Belle.

One eye blink would be enough for her to stop this. No one would even notice she get up, but she would manage to push all three girls out of the catastrophe’s reach, so Sweetie wouldn’t destroyed her sweatshirt.

But she couldn’t. When she had done this before, Twilight called it useless charging of powers because accidents like this happened regurarly and she couldn’t stop everything.

That didn’t change the fact that it was so insanely frustrating to just watch as the liquid slowly poured onto the three girls while she did _nothing_. Or watch as Flash Sentry was slowly loosing balance on his chair and, to the accompaniment of his friends’ laughter, was falling down from the chair. Or how Cheese Sandwich aimlessly watched that instead of one of his classmates, he pranked principal Celestia –

Suddenly, an orange hand appeared before her eyes and Applejack snapped twice. “Hey Dash, you listenin’?”

She shoved her hand away. “What i tis with everybody asking met his question today, hm?” she frowned. “Of course I’m listening.”

“I’m just sayin’ because you were tapping your fingers faster than what’s physically possible,” Applejack shrugged. “Any reason you’re usin’ your superspeed for you hands?”

She immediately shoved her hands under the table, clenching her palms in fists. “Sorry,” she muttered. “I stopped controlling myself.”

“Huh?” Twilight leaned her elbows on the table. “What do you mean?”

Sunset copied her, leaning closer to Rainbow Dash. “Are there some more magical deviations we don’t know about?”

“What? No, don’t worry, Sunset.” She run her fingers through her hair restressly, scratching her nape. She didn’t like this conversation anymore. “I just thought about something… and now I remembered we have a soccer practice shifted for half an hour, so if you’ll excuse me,” she stood up, grasped her tray of food in one hand and threw her backpack over her second shoulder, “I have to go now. Bye.”

She hasn’t get them a chance to respond, when she – slowly, barely half her normal human speed – started running away. She threw away rest of her food on her way, returned the tray on it’s place and then she disappeared from their sight.

The school’s halls were empty at this time, so she dared herself to run a little bit faster.

She closed her eyes. She knew halls of this school better than anyone else, she didn’t have to look to know where she’s running or when she has to turn. After all, all the times she underestimated her superspeed and crashed into lockers, doors or wall taught her this.

It was unsettling. It was making her nervous.

She was going crazy because of that.

Everything was just so slow. She was slow. And she couldn’t, couldn’t use her powers, because that would be waste of magic. Sure, superspeed was amazing, but when other people managed doing their things without it, why couldn’t she do it, too?

Sometimes she regretted she doesn’t have a superstrenght like Applejack or that she can’t read thoughts like Sunset.

With a muffled groan she hid her head in hands. She was making it worse by running because everything in her body screamed at her to run faster, to just run and spread her wings.

 _It’s been so long since you run at full speed_ , something inside her whispered. _Co what are you afraid of? Pinkie Pie is using her explosive magic more often than you._

_Let it go. Submit. You want it, so stop hesitating. Everyone knows your wishes are important to you._

“No!” she screamed. She stopped rapidly, nearly tripping over. She rested her hands against her thighs, trying to breath. She stared at floor and successfully ignored the few students in study hall who were looking at her uncomprehendingly. Guiltily, she waved at them, after which they returned to their work and she started walking away.

“I can’t let my longing win,” she hissed determinedly. “I don’t care what anyone think, I won’t ever favour myself before my friends.”

Not ever.

Even if it would destroy her.

~~~

The rest of the Raimbooms, who were still staring after the blue girl who was running off, looked at each other, confused. “Alright,” Applejack cleard her throat. “This was weird, right?”

Pinkie Pie nodded furiously. “I know, right? Someone should remind her she’t the captain of all sports clubs in our school so she’s in charge of all meetings. And she’s always on time.”

“I hate to say it, darlings,” Rarity wrapped a strand of her purple hair on her finger, “but I don’t like it. Dash is acting weird lately. She seems…”

“More fidgety?” said Fluttershy softly. “I agree. Vice principal Luna noticed too, today. Rainbow lied to her about being alright.”

“And she’s much more quieter lately,” added Pinkie. “And our Dashie isn’t usually silent.”

“She isn’t paying attention,” continued Applejack. “We all know Dash doesn’t like studying, but it seems that it’s totally unworkable for her now. It did a job on her marks, too, but it looks like she hasn’t even noticed.”

“I don’t like it,” Sunset summed up, earning affirmative nodding from everyone. “But whatever’s happening, according to everything we know, she doesn’t want to talk about it with us.”

Twilight sighed. “That’s not right. We should talk with her about it. Whatever bothers her, I’m sure we can figure it out together.”

Applejack tapped her fingers on the table approvingly. “We have to. Because no matter what’s goin’ on wit’ her, what I dislike most is that she’s successfully hiding it.”

~~~

“Ugh.”

“I wouldn’t say it better.”

She screamed, jumping in the air. With her cerise eyes wide open she stared at Applejack who appeared seemingly from thin air. “AJ, don’t do this to me,” she hissed. She kicked a ball by her legs in the air and catched it in one hand, then she turned around and headed to an empty field.

The green-eyed girl stretched out so she could grasp her elbow but Rainbow managed to dodge her. So she crossed her hands on her chest, her hat pulled down more on her forehead and gave her a strict look: “What shouldn’t I do, Dash? Ya the one not talking to us for the last three days. You’re avoidin’ people in general.”

She bit her lip and turned her back on her, because it was true. She avoided them, she avoided everyone, but it wasn’t because she wanted to. It was because the more people were around her, the more the desire to use her powers rose. Too many people in one place or around her made her nervous.

It wasn’t nice. Not when she couldn’t do something about it. No when she had to adapt to their slow regime.

“And?” she asked with a pretended peace. She threw the ball up to the sky, then hit it with her knee, again and again to keep it in the air. Any kind of activity always calmed her down, especially when the activity was something sporty or music-y. “I just don’t like crowds.”

“Um, excuse me?” Rarity emerged from behind bleachers, followed by Pinkie Pie, and when Rainbow Dash looked aroud, she found out the rest of the group is coming to her from all sides. “I think I heard wrong,” continued Rarity, “our Rainbow Dash doesn’t like crowd?”

She didn’t need to hear from her how untrustworthily it sounds, she was well aware of it. “What can I say, even I need a break for a while,” she hissed. She let the ball fall down, it bounced once and then scored a goal.

Applejack shook her head. “Why are you avoidin’ us, Dash? Have we done somethin’?”

“No,” she assured them immediately. She didn’t think there was something they could do to make her stop talking to them – not again.

Sunset threw her hands up. “Then what’s going on, Rainbow? You’re hiding something from us and we don’t know what i tis. No one likes this, because you’re acting strange.”

“Darling, please.” Rarity put her hand on her heart. “Do you have any problems?”

She rubbed her eyes. “Yes, I can’t sleep. Satisfied, now?” It wasn’t a lie. She had so much energy in her that it was making her tired because she couldn’t vent it. Nothing from the things she was doing before Equestrian magic appeared wasn’t tiring enough.

Her body wasn’t bulit for a speed and energy of an average person.

“Why not?” Twilight adjusted her glasses nervously. “Do you have nightmares?”

She snorted. “Please, Twilight, don’t make me laugh.”

“There’s nothing wrong with nightmares, just so you know. I had them and you –”

She interrupted her by waving her hand. “No. No, just – I don’t have nightmares, okay? What’s this anyway, an intervention?”

“Yes,” Applejack nodded. “And we don’t let you go till ya tell the truth. And I know,” she pointed a finger at her direction, “when someone’s lyin’.”

“We just wanna help you!” added Pinkie Pie sadly. “I don’t like it when you don’t talk to us.”

They were starting to gather closer, surrounding here. She knew they had this planned and she was afraid what will happen next. She stepped back from Applejack, but there stood Fluttershy.

They were around her in a circle and she didn’t have a way to slide between them. Only if she ponied up and flew away, but she would need Equestrian magic for this and – and that was what this whole thing was about, wasn’t it?

“I don’t need help with anything.” She unwittingly gripped her geode. She knew she hasn’t convinced them when they did another step closer to her. She was sweating and her heart beat violently.

Once again she backed from Applejack and how much of a mistake it was she realized the moment she felt Sunset’s warm hands on her shoulders and saw how her eyes whitely shone.

She jumped away instantly, nearly knocking Fluttershy down, but Pinkie managed to catch her. Rainbow Dash stared at Sunset, eyes wide open, absolutely terrified.

Sunset was covering her mouth with hand and there were tears in her cyan eyes. “Dash, why… why haven’t you said something?” she whispered. From her thoughts, she has found out what’s botherig her and how she feels and that –

That did it.

All the suppressed emotions and energy forced their way out when Rainbow Dash gripped the crystal, and in the next moment she was gone, leaving only a rainbow trail behind her.

~~~

“What happened?” Applejack asked at once. She came closer to Sunset, knowing no one has a chance of catching up with Rainbow Dash. “Sunset, what have ya seen?”

“Do you remember the problem with our powers, when they activated on their own?” She didn’t have to wait for their answers, they couldn’t forget. “And how we told Rainbow to not use hers so often? That’s what it is about. She isn’t using them. And she’s suffering because of that.”

Fluttershy tucked a hair strand behind her ear. “Whad do you mean?” she asked quietly.

“I – come closer. I don’t know how to say it, so I’m gonna show it to you.”

As one, they held onto her and without hesitating, Sunset projected what she saw in Rainbow Dash’s mind into their heads. She heard several gasps and even silent cursing coming from Applejack. She shortly, bitterly laughed. “Yeah. We’ve done it, huh?”

She wasn’t the only one nearly in tears and Fluttershy and Pinkie were really crying. “That’s horrible,” the yellow-haired girl whispered. “Why hasn’t she _said_ anything?”

“You saw it yourself.” Applejack looked into the distance where Dash disappeared. “People can say anything about her, but she’s not selfish. She didn’t want to disappoint us.”

Pinkie Pie shivered. “It was horrible feeling. I don’t want to feel it ever again and I can’t believe Dash would even think something like that. I haven’t wanted to limit her, I don’t want for her to hurt herself!”

“No one wanted this, Pinkie.” Twilight clenched her fists. “We need to find her and explain we haven’t meant it like that.”

“But where even we should look?” Rarity asked hopelessly. “But her superspeed, she could be on the other side of the world.”

“Or not,” Applejack hummed. Without hesitating, she started walking towards a parking lot. “Follow me, I have an idea where she is.”

They didn’t need to be told twice.

~~~

“Sweet Apple Acres?” Rarity tilted her head, confused. “Don’t be mad, Applejack, but why would Dash be on your farm?”

“Not on the farm, but in orchards. Dash has always loved high places and climbing up the trees calmed and entertained her. She was coming here often when she wanted to be alone.”

“But your orchards are huge.” Sunset waved her hand to point at the row of trees. “How can we find her here?”

“I have an idea,” Fluttershy peeped. She whistled shortly and soon she had few sparrows at her feet. “Hello, little ones. Do you think you could help us find our friend?”

They listened how the birds chirped, impatiently watching Fluttershy who was slowly nodding. “The good thing is that she’s here,” she said eventually. “The worse is that she’s near the end of the west orchard.”

“But she’s here, so what’re we waiting for?” squealed Pinkie and all six girls darted.

It took them nearly ten minutes before they come nearer, but as soon as they were close enough for Rainbow to hear them, they slowed down and started looking around the trees.

Unsurprisingly it was Applejack who found her. She stopped in the middle of a step and rest of the group crashed into her, but she just pointed at treetop of one tall apple tree. The blue girl was sitting on the highest branch, back to them and her hands were barely touching the tree.

She sat completely still and they just stared at her for a few seconds, but then she hung her shoulders: “I should’ve know you’ll find me here.”

“Rainbow, please, come down,” called Sunset.

For a moment nothing happened, but eventually she stood on her branch and with a few expert, practiced moves she climbed down. Casually, she leant against the tree tunk and crossed her hands on her chest as if everything was alright, but the redness in her eyes divulged she has been crying. “So you all know.”

“We know,” Twilight nodded. “But Raimbow, you have to know, back then when we said you shouldn’t use your powers so frequently, we didn’t mean it in a bad way. We didn’t know it will be such a problem for you.”

Her whole body tensed. She flickered her fingers and hung her hands along her body. “I can’t control it, okay? I can’t just… switch it off. If I could, I’d do it, I swear. I’ve never wanted to cause problems so I tried restraining it as much as I could, but I don’t know how long I will manage it now.”

“We know, Dash,” Applejack assured her. “We all felt it.”

The athlete shot Sunset a look, who just guiltily pressed her lips together. She just wasn’t planning on apologizing. She did what she had to do, and she would do it again, because she doubted Rainbow Dash would ever told them until she couldn’t avoid it anymore – and maybe even then she wouldn’t do it.

Rarity smiled at her. “We don’t want for you to not use your powers. After all, we all use them pretty often. And yes, I admit, the boost wasn not pleasant, but it wasn’t even near what you are going through now. We don’t want her to suffer.”

“Even if that meant another boost in our magic,” nodded Pinkie. “And I don’t wanna see you this sad ever again. It’s not you at all.”

“But I – you can’t suffer the consequences because I can’t control my powers.”

Applejack rolled her eyes and stepped closer. Because of the tree, Dash couldn’t back off, so Applejack gripped her shoulders and shook with her slightly. “Use your brain and ears and listen to us, Dash. Don’t ya hear what are we sayin’? Nothing is more important for us than you bein’ alright. Let magic be. What ya were doin’ the last weeks, what ya went through just so we wouldn’t feel uncomfortable? That’s only a proof ya really deserve the magic. You’re the element of loyalty, Dash, and that nearly drove ya crazy. So please, listen to us. We won’t stop ya from usin’ your superspeed and we never wanted to.”

Rainbow Dash looked down to hide her tears which were once again shining in her eyes. “You really wouldn’t mind?” she whispered. “Even if it would cause another boom?”

“We won’t mind,” they agreed unanimously.

“Because then we’d went trough it together,” added Rarity, “and together we can do everything, right?”

She wiped her tears aways. She looked at all of them and a soft smile appeared on her face. “You have no idea how happy I’m that you are my friends.”

Sunset laughed. “I think we can be happy you are our friend, Rainbow Dash.”

“Group hug!” screamed Pinkie and snuggled against Rainbow from one side. Applejack made use of her front position while the rest of their band joined the hug.

Rainbow Dash burried her head in Applejack’s hair and closed her eyes. She felt it when the magic in her released and she ponied up. Wings sprouted from her back, pony ears grew on her head and her hair lengthened in ponytail, but nothing made her loosen her grip on her friends.

She stopped suppressing her magic, because it was a part of her – and _this_ was her.

With her friends by her side she could overcome all the obstacles life put in front of them. Even if the obstacle was she herself.


End file.
